Control mechanism for roller shades or awnings



CONTROL MECHANISM FOR ROLLER SHADES OR AWNINGS Filed April 12, 1952 m NQ m I a 3 @Q R Q- INVENTOR Erncsi J Sazyeni HTTYS Patented May 11, 1954CONTROL MECHANISM FOR ROLLER SHADES OR AWNINGS Ernest J. Sargent,Denair, Calif.

Application April 12, 1952, Serial N0. 282,001

3 Claims. I 1

This invention relates to shade or awning mounting rollers of that typein which a spring winds the shade onto the roller and raises the shade,whereas a pull on the shade unwinds the same from the roller, lowers theshade, and at the same time tensions the spring for the subsequent shadewinding and raising operation.

Ordinarily, a releasable dog mechanism between a stationary end spindleof the roller, and the roller itself, prevents detensiom'ng of thespring and the resultant rotation of th roller and winding of the shadethereon. To release the dogs, the shade must be first pulled downslightly, and the down pull then releases.

In the event of failure of the dogs to reengage once they have beenreleased, or if the hand holding the shade should slip from the same,the roller will rotate out of control and the shade will be rolled up toits limit, as is well known to anybody who has handled such shades.Apart from this, there is no way to definitely control the height towhich the shade will raise with recurring raising and lowering movementsthereof.

It is therefore one of the objects of this invention to provide a shaderoller mechanism which eliminates the dogs and their hit-and-missaction.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a roller controlmechanism which will cause the shade to stop at any preselected level orheight when released and wound up from its fully lowered position. As apart of such mechanism, it is a feature of the invention to providemeans which allow the shade to raise to the desired level, andpositively stop, without being touched or otherwise controlled by handpressure.

Since the shade is not manually handled while the winding up and raisingof the same is being carried out, there is no tendency for the shade tobe pulled laterally or out of true, and the resultant cracked ordiagonal rolling or windingup of the shade on the roller is thuseliminated.

It is also an object to provide a roller control mechanism which isdesigned for ease and economy of manufacture.

Still another object of the inventionis to provide a practical andreliable roller control, mechanism and one which will be exceedinglyeffective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure andrelativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the followingspecification and claims.

Fig. l is a foreshortened elevation, partly in section, of a shaderoller equipped with the novel control mechanism.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional plan of the control mechanism at one endof the roller, shown detached from. the roller.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the same.

Fig. 4 is a cross section on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of references on thedrawings, the roller l itself is of conventional construction, andordinarily of wood, to which the flexible roll-up shade 2 is secured atone end as usual. At one end-preferably the left-hand endof the roller,a relatively turnable spindle 3 projects from the roller axiallythereof, the outer end of the spindle being non-circular as usual andbeing nonturnably engaged in a supporting bracket 4. The inner end ofthe spindle is connected toone end of a longitudinal torque spring 5disposed in a bore 6 in the roller; the other end of th spring beingconnected to the roller in the customary manner. The spring is arrangedso that an unwinding or unloading action of the same, with the spindleheld stationary, tends to rotate the roller in a direction to roll upthe shade thereon, as is common practice.

At the opposite or right hand end of the roller, the shade and springcontrolling unit is mounted. This unit being generally indicated at I.This unit comprises a cylindrical cup 8, the same diameter as the rollerand secured thereto, with the bottom or back Wall 9 abutting said end ofthe roller.

Secured on the wall 9 and projecting into the roller axially thereof isa tube in, closed by a cross-wall II at its far or inner end. A spindlel2 extends lengthwise axially through the tube It, the cup 8, and aplate I3 separate from and covering the outer open end of the cup.

The spindle i2 is journaled in walls 1H and 9, and in the plate 13,having an outer squared end It beyond said plate normally but releasablyheld against rotation by a fork 15 of an end bracket 16. The plate I3 isalso held against rotation, independently of spindle 12, by means of anoncircular hub 1311 on the plate engaging the main fork We of saidbracket It.

The spindle I2 Within the tube is threaded as at I! and is engaged by awasher-like nut I8 backed by a cushion washer is of leather or the like.The spindle I2 is mounted so that it may rotate but cannot move axiallyand the hut I8 is prevented from rotation in the tube by cooperatingflat face 20 thereon. From this arrangement it will be seen that, as theroller rotates, the nut l8 moves along the spindle I2 toward one end orthe other of the tube, the pitch of the thread being such that with acomplete winding or unwinding of the shade, the nut moves the entirelength of the tube} The direction of the thread pitch is such that, asthe roller is turned to wind up the shade thereon, the nut ill will movetoward the endwall l l of the tube.

Arranged with plate 13 and a cup 8 to restrain and control the action ofspring is a hand-released brake unit. This unit comprise a onewayfriction cam member 2|, normally riding on the inner periphery of cup 8,which thus forms a brake drum. Member 2| is fixed on a shaft 22journaled in the plate it, the shaft exteriorly of said plate beingfixed on an actuating arm 23 to which a depending pull cord 24 isattached. A tension spring 25 is connected between the arm 23 and plate23, acting in opposition to a pull on the cord.

The member 2i is so arranged on the shaft 22 and relative to the spring25 and the shade windup direction of rotation of the roller i and cup 8,that the member 2! will jam and bind against the cup with any tendencyof the roller and cup to rotate in said direction, but will allow ofunrestricted rotation of the roller and cup in the opposite or shadeunwinding and lowering direction. Release of the cup 50 that the spring5 is free to act and rotate the roller in a shade wind-up or raisingdirection is accomplished by'pulling down on the cord 24 to turn lever23 and shaft 22 to a cam release position. Automatic raising of theshade from a lowered position will therefore take place upon a downwardpull being imparted to the cord, and raising will cease as soon as thecord is released.

The control unit 5 is mainly for the purpose of assuring that the shade,when being thus automatically raised, will stop at a predetermined leveleven though the pull on cord 24 is not released.

In order to set the control to stop rotation of the roller in a shadewind-up direction when the shade is at a desired level, said shade isfirst pulled down-01 allowed to raiseto such level. The spindle I2 isthen released from bracket 16 by tilting the adjacent end of the rollersomewhat, and said spindle is next turned by hand or by a suitable tooluntil washer l9 abuts against the end wall ll of tube it. The spindle I2is thence restored to its original held position.

When the shade is pulled down from said desired level, the washer andnut will move away from wall H, and will return to'said Wall when theroller is subsequently released to wind up the shade, and will thu forma stop preventing further raising of the shade above said level. Afterthe shade has been lowered, it is thus only necessary to pull the cord25 and hold the same pulled until the shade stops in its upwardmovement.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there hasbeen produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of theinvention, as set forth herein.

While this invention sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the device, still in practice such deviations therefrommay be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of theinvention as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new anduseful, and upon which Letters Patent are desired.

1. In a shade roller, which includes a rotatable roller on which tomount a flexible shade for rolling and unrolling movement to raise andlower the shade upon rotation of the roller in one direction and theother respectively, and a support for the roller at one end thereof; anadjustable unit at the other end of the roller to limit the rotation ofthe same in a shade rollup direction, said unit comprising a cylindricalmember fixed on the other end of the roller, a closed-end tube fixed onsaid member and projecting into said other end of the roller, a rotaryspindle extending axially through the tube and journaled in the endwalls thereof, a nut threaded on the spindle within the tube and nonturnably slidable therein between said end walls, a plate turnablymounted on the spindle and in said cylindrical member, and releasablyconnected to said member at its outerend, a hub projecting from theouter face of the plate and having a non-circular outer periphery, thespindle projecting beyond the hub and having a non-circular outer endand being manually ro tatable, a supporting bracket having one armprovided with a slot to removably and non-turnably engage the outer endof the spindle, and another arm longer than said-one arm having a slotparallel to and extending in the same direction as the first named slotand removably and non-turnably supporting the hub; the spindle end beingdisengageable from its slot while the hub is still retained within itsslot.

2. A unit, as in claim 1, in which the hub includes axially spacedoutwardly projecting flanges to project on opposite sides of. said otherbracket arm to prevent axial shifting of the roller when the spindle isdisengaged from its bracket arm.

3. In a shade roller, which includes arotatable roller on which to mounta flexible shade for rolling and unrolling movement to raise and lowerthe shade upon rotation of the roller in one direction and the otherrespectively, and a support for the roller at one end thereof; .anadjustable unit at the other end of the roller 'to limit the rotation ofthe same in a shade rollup direction, said unit comprising a closed-endtube fixed on and projecting into said other end of the roller, a rotaryspindle extending axially through the tube and journaled in the endwalls thereof, a nut threaded on the spindle within the tube betweensaid end walls, the spindle projecting outwardly from the tube and meansat its outer end facilitating manual rotation thereof, means to turnablysupport the roller at said other end, and separate means included inpart with said supporting means and releasably engaging the outer end ofthe spindle to prevent rotation thereof when engaged.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 105,854 Shorey July 26, 1870 1,187,077 MacCune June 13, 19161,568,379 Hartley Jan. 5, 1926 1,725,285 Lalonde Aug. 20, 1929 1,783,002Simpson Nov. 25, 1932 2,020,595 Weber Nov. 12, 1935

